A pensioner charged with multiple grisly murders has died from coronavirus before her trial had finished.
Sofia Zhukova, from Russia, was reportedly known as the 'Granny Ripper' due to the horrific series of murders she was accused of having committed.
The OAP had been charged with killing three people, including seven-year-old girl Anastasia Alexeenko, whose severed head was found in 2005.
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The 81-year-old was also accused of having murdered a 52-year-old male janitor and her 77-year-old friend.
However, she contracted the deadly disease while she was in jail and died on 29 December.
According to reports, before she died, police were still investigating whether four other unsolved murders were linked to her.
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During her trial, the court was shown videos of Zhukova using a fake axe to demonstrate to officers how she murdered her male victim.
Internal organs belonging to janitor Vasily Shlyakhtich, who was her tenant, were reportedly found in Zhukova's fridge back in 2019, though she denied she was a cannibal.
Speaking about his death, she said: "I killed the janitor, but he raped me. What do you think I should have done? I chopped him up with an axe."
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During another hearing, Zhukova admitted to having kidnapped schoolgirl Anastasia, keeping her captive for three weeks.
The girl was later found close to her home with her head cut off, and DNA belonging to her was found in Zhukova's bathroom 14 years after the alleged murder.
Zhukova's trial suffered some delays last year after she retracted her confessions regarding the murder of the young girl and an elderly woman, whose body had never been found.
According to reports, the judge ordered that there be a change to her charges, however, she was still standing trial for the alleged murder of three people when she died.
Featured Image Credit: East2West NewsTopics: World News, crime, Weird, Murder, Russia, court